Preview

Beowulf as a Epic Hero

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
962 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Beowulf as a Epic Hero
Beowulf Paper

A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf's life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero.
Beowulf was passed on from person to person. Beowulf possesses the superhuman abilities, and the amazing power to hold his breath under water for an unlimited period of time. It is easy to feel that these characteristics separate from the realistic nature of the story, and gives the impression that Beowulf is more like a myth than a man. In the epic Beowulf, he's portrayed as almost inhumane, but clearly fulfilled his role as a true hero.
Beowulf has a strong belief in fate. If he dies in battle he believes it's because it is his destiny to do so. "Fate will unwind as it must!" He realizes the dangers but fears nothing for his own life. This is what makes Beowulf a true hero. Even after serving his people as King of the Geats for fifty years, he goes to battle in hopes, or fate, to destroy a dragon who is terrifying all of his people. At this point however, Beowulf is old and tired but still manages to defeat the dragon in order to protect his people. The most heroic of traits within Beowulf is that he is not afraid to die. He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. "And if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac...". Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Beowulf As A Hero Essay

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Beowulf is considered a great warrior but not a true hero. Although he accomplished many heroic deeds he never did any of them for the right reasons. Therefore, Beowulf is not a true hero but only a warrior who values renown and rewards. Although he should signs that he cares about the people he never fought for the people but for himself to the very end. Ultimately we see that Beowulf has the characteristic of a hero but his values differ greatly from that of heroes. It can even we concluded that the values of the people who listen to Beowulf hundred of years ago differ from us…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The hero of all heroes, Beowulf, strong and courageous, is the prince of Geats. Once he makes a vow, he stands by his word, no matter what the cost, even if it takes his life. He is reluctant to back down from battle, just so he can be there for the people who are in great need to be saved from evil. He signifies the true heroic character because he is willing to risk his life for his ideals. Beowulf defeats three gruesome monsters, two of whom are descendants of Cain. Beowulf is able to show his characteristics both in his youth and in his older days.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." In other words, to be considered a hero, one must time and time again risk and ultimately sacrifice his or her life to a greater cause. In the epic poem Beowulf, the main character of Beowulf risks his life in his battles with Grendel and Grendel's mother, and ultimately sacrifices his life to the dragon for the good of his people. Beowulf's heroic sacrifice of his life proves the critical lens.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself" -Joseph Campbell. The story I'm writing about is the Epic poem call Beowulf, which was translated by Burton Raftel. Beowulf is a hero who defeated many monster that are killing innocent people. In his life, as a hero, Beowulf shows that he is bossy, independent, and fearless; which are all the qualities of a real Epic hero.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf, in the reader’s perspective is a very strong and noble man. As the poem says, “Nor have I seen a mightier man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken, he is truly noble. There is mere hanger-on in a hero’s armour.” (244-251). He is noble because he knows his possible consequence of fighting but does not fear death. Beowulf…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Epic Hero

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Everyone needs to make their life like a Beowulf. In the poem Beowulf ,the character, Beowulf, is an example of a true epic hero, who fights with a powerful monster and saves Horthgor’s people. He is the only person who can fight with monsters. He meets unnatural phenomena. He goes into the underworld on a dangerous journey. In the end he is able to kill the most powerful monster. In Beowulf, the narrator says Beowulf has all qualities of an epic hero.…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf As An Epic Hero

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Beowulf is such a unique and distinctive character. He shows people the true definition of an epic hero. He is the type of hero that people would look up to. He is a confident leader for many, and that is what makes him who he is. Beowulf’s main characteristics are loyalty, bravery, and strength.…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf fits the mold of a hero in many ways. Towards the end of the story, we see the selfless acts Beowulf has done. In the hero’s journey, the hero accepts the challenge he is given. Beowulf accepts the challenge King Hrothgar offers. Since Grendel has been attacking the mead hall, Beowulf accepts the challenge to fight Grendel himself to save the Danes from death. He crosses the threshold here, seeing his own power he realizes what he is capable of.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Epic Hero

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Beowulf, the great masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon literature, was everything an epic hero should be, but contained a few qualities that a hero should not posses. An Anglo-Saxon hero is a person who had good leadership qualities, is able and willing to provide people with a sense of security, and is willing to go into danger despite possible harm to themselves. (Anglo-Saxon Hero) Beowulf had to be willing to put his own life on the line for the benefit of others. For Beowulf to be a hero he must posses such as bravery, courage, strength, intelligence and honor. He must also be pure at heart, fight for the good of mankind and only fight when it is to protect the people and not out of revenge. (Qualities of Hero) Beowulf exemplifies the archetypal epic hero in three ways. His characteristics show that he is significant and glorified, is on a quest, and has superior or superhuman strength.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compare Batman to Beauwulf

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Riveting tales of fortune, valor, and heroism he kind of tale where this larger then life characters go off on epic adventures in search of honor and treasure and also fight some amazing foes along the way. These tales can come in many different styles, themes, and ways they are told, but one thing all of these stories have in common is an epic hero. But what is a hero? To me a hero is a person the stands up for the ones that cant help themselves, a person that no matter the challenge will persevere, and a person that will sacrifice it all for the people he or she loves. That brings me to my heroes Beowulf and Batman these two characters are perfect example of these traits they show this though their selfless deeds and displays that they have performed over the years. And starting it off we will talk about the amazing feats of Beowulf and his heroic traits in his epic poem.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Beowulf also has the heroic characteristics of being brave. Beowulf would go and fight taking a risk of his own life on the line just to help out others. not for himself.. at all. But others around him. Beowulf went into it knowing that this nasty slaying dragon was bigger than him but he still didn't have a doubt in his mind going in to fight this dragon.…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Beowulf, the Epic Hero

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Firstly, Beowulf is considered to be “larger than life” by mostly everybody he comes in contact with, owing to the fact that he exemplifies the highest ideals of the culture. These values include valour, courage, a sense of justice, dignity and persistence. Throughout the tale, Beowulf demonstrates his valour and courage with his numerous battles with Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, the Dragon, and his swimming match with Breca. Not only that, he also cuts his arm off in the battle with the Dragon, an act that requires more courage and bravery than the typical human capable of possessing. Beowulf’s main character foil, Unferth, stated himself,”Yours is the blood of courage.” It is clear that Beowulf has a great sense of justice, although sometimes it is quite exuberated; he gives Finn of Frisia a weapon to kill him with, and he also fought Grendel as an equal, without any clothes or weapons. This is an example of Beowulf’s heroic dignity as well. One quality that is continually evident throughout the story is Beowulf’s persistence. He never forfeits a battle, or passes up a challenge. He…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Epic Hero Essay

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The definition of a hero from ancient times to present day has evolved greatly, but they often still possess characteristics synonymous across all cultures and timespans. In modern times, they are often thought of as role models for others to live up to, and are generally humble, honest, and not afraid to put others in front of themselves. In ancient times, more emphasis was put on strength and fearlessness, and epic heroes were often saviors of the land, sent down to Earth in its time of need by God’s hand. Beowulf, the main character in the epic poem Beowulf, is blessed with superhuman strength, a magical weapon only he can yield, as well as a fierce sense of loyalty to his people and an obligation to protect them no matter what the cost, earning him the rank of an epic hero.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout the Old English poem of Beowulf, Beowulf is understood as an epic hero. The way he showed this unique power was by his qualities of courage, loyalty, wisdom, boasting, and of course physical strength. Beowulf wasn’t your anomaly man, instead he was known as your faux of an Marvel Superhero you can think of. However, Beowulf never saw no as an answer. On second thought, he stood tenacious and ready to…

    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Epic Hero

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Another sign that verifies Beowulf as a true epic hero is the role of a risk taker. By acquiring various quests, involves an enormous amount of risk or danger. Beowulf certainly experiences a great deal of risk throughout the battles. For example, Beowulf arrives at the lake preparing to fight Grendel’s mother without a clue of any sudden events that may occur: “Beowulf, anxious to take part in battle, leaps into the lake without waiting for anyone’s assistance. While Beowulf is in the lake for hours, the water exceeds its normal height until at last Beowulf arrives at the muddy…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays